Boston Flora

Month: February 2019

  • Thursday, February 28, 11:00 am – Saving Aphrodite: Conserving Garden Statuary and Fountains

    Thursday, February 28, 11:00 am – Saving Aphrodite: Conserving Garden Statuary and Fountains

    Join Patricia Miller, Preservation Society of Newport County Chief Conservator. on Thursday, February 28 at 11 am at Rosecliff, 548 Bellevue Avenue in Newport, for a lecture entitled Saving Aphrodite: Conserving Garden Statuary and Fountains, part of the 2019 Winter Lecture Series. The gardens of the Preservation Society properties are well known for their abundant flowers and foliage. But have you ever wondered about the statues that inhabit these gardens and how they are cared for? Learn about the outdoor sculpture collection and the work that goes into conserving it.

    Admission is $10 for Preservation Society members, $15 for the general public. Advance ticket purchase is required. Learn more and purchase tickets at www.newportmansions.org.

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  • Saturday, March 2, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Seed Starting Workshop

    Saturday, March 2, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Seed Starting Workshop

    This Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s hands-on workshop on March 2 from 10 – 12, led by Senior Horticulturist Hannah Traggis, will have you start your own seeds to take home for your garden. Through a series of demonstrations, you will learn the proper care and handling of young seedlings. Seeds and materials will be provided, but feel free to bring your own selection of seeds to plant!

    Hannah Traggis is Mass Hort’s Senior Horticulturist. She assists with maintainence and propagation of our twelve gardens, manages Mass Hort at the Flower Show, and lectures and demonstrates best garden practices to Mass Hort visitors, garden clubs, and teachers. Additionally, she manages the edible gardens throughout The Gardens at Elm Bank.

    $25 for Mass Hort members, $35 for nonmembers. Register at https://masshort.org/education-events/seed-starting-workshop/

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  • Tuesday, February 26, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm – Sanctuaries of the Society Webinar

    The New England Wild Flower Society owns nine plant sanctuaries scattered throughout the region. This February 26 webinar from 1-2 offers a brief history, description, and explanation of the ecological-botanical significance of these sanctuaries as well as a discussion of threats to their ecological integrity. This session also covers the challenges of managing a plant sanctuary in today’s changing world. The session is led by Bud Sechler, Ecological Programs Coordinator, and is $10 for NEWFS members. $13 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.newenglandwild.org/learn/our-programs/sanctuaries-of-the-society

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  • Registration Open for Esplanade Association Group/Corporate Volunteers

    Bring your company’s employees to volunteer on the Esplanade as part of our award-winning Volunteer Program!

    Volunteering with the Esplanade Association is a great way to build your team while participating in a visible corporate philanthropic effort to benefit a local nonprofit. Volunteers report a sense of pride caring for a public space that they are likely to return to with friends and family.

    If you are interested in scheduling a separate volunteer opportunity on the Esplanade, please email Micah Jasny, Stewardship Manager (mjasny@esplanade.org)
    Activities May Include:

    Painting benches or fencing
    Planting new gardens and bulbs
    Removing invasive plants or weeds
    Sweeping park pathways
    Mulching
    Raking leaves

    Scheduling and Time Commitment

    A minimum of 15 confirmed participants is required to set up a group day. Please email us to inquire about hosting groups larger than 100 people.
    Volunteer days are three hours long (longer by request)
    Volunteer days are typically scheduled for Tuesday or Thursday (others by request)
    During winter and late fall, we will continue to schedule volunteers at the park as long as the weather is favorable.
    Each group is required to designate one or more volunteer leaders from their group who will be present during the event to assist with coordination.

    Please email Micah Jasny, Stewardship Manager at mjasny@esplanade.org if you have any questions. We would love to set up a volunteer day for your group.

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  • Tuesday, February 26, 5:15 pm – 7:30 pm – Our Own Orient: Mecca, California, and Dates

    The Massachusetts Historical Society will hold a free Modern American Society and Culture Seminar on February 26 at 5:15 at its headquarters on Boylston Street, with Eleanor Daly Finnegan of Harvard University and comment by Laura Barraclough of Yale University on the topic of dates. Residents changed the name of Walters, California to Mecca in 1904. They were trying to use the exoticism of the Middle East to sell dates. This paper will focus on Mecca, California and the Indio Date Festival, looking at the complicated ways in which Orientalism has changed in the United States, its relationship to consumerism, and the economic connections made to the Middle East.

    To RSVP: email seminars@masshist.org or call (617) 646-0579.

    Image result for historical postcard Mecca California date trees

  • Wednesday, March 13 – Sunday, March 17 – Boston Flower & Garden Show: The Beauty of Balance

    The 2019 Boston Flower & Garden Show will take place March 13 – 17 at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston.  This year’s theme is The Beauty of Balance. Discover new ideas and become inspired for a year of successful gardening. View landscaped gardens, edible gardens, and floral designs, plus attend lectures and demonstrations from master gardeners, designers, and chefs. Shop 200 vendors in The Garden Marketplace. Some of the region’s top professional florists will decorate the venue, and the amateur competitions, coordinated by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, will feature arrangements by some of our very own Garden Club of the Back Bay designers. The Boston Flower & Garden Show and the Seaport World Trade Center are handicapped accessible. Wheelchairs are available on loan in the building’s main lobby. Order tickets now (Adults $20, Seniors $17) at http://BostonFlowerShow.com.

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  • Saturday, February 23, 10:00 am – 12:30 pm – Maple Sugaring At Home

    This February 23rd Berkshire Botanical Garden workshop from 10 – 12:30 will demonstrate the beloved New England tradition of making maple syrup at home, using the sugar bush on the grounds of the Berkshire Botanical Garden. Chris Wellens, Director of Education at BBG, will cover all aspects of maple sugaring: identifying suitable trees, the when and how of collecting sap, the boiling down process for the home setting, and preserving the syrup for year-round use. Participants will walk through the BBG sugarbush, install spiles, consider collection schedules, and boil down the maple sap to syrup. A tasting will follow.

    Chris Wellens, Director Education at BBG, is an experienced home maple syrup maker. He educates the community about the environment, gardening, beekeeping, and agriculture.

    Advance registration is highly recommended, but walk-ins are always welcome, space permitting. $25 for BBG members, $35 for nonmembers. Register online at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/maple-sugaring-home

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  • Sundays, March 3, 10, 31, and April 7, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Get Rooted in Urban Gardening

    Catherine Chamberlain, MSc, Biodiversity and Conservation, Trinity College Dublin and PhD student, Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, and Wayne Daily, MSc, Biodiversity and Conservation, Trinity College Dublin, Assistant Property Manager, Habitat Sanctuary, will conduct a class entitled Get Rooted in Urban Gardening in four sessions: Sunday, March 3, 10, 31, and April 7, 2:00–4:00pm at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston. Cat and Wayne will introduce basic gardening concepts and satisfy your desire to get growing. The class will include:

    • Basic Botany and Gardening

    • Site Analysis, Soil Preparation, and Irrigation

    • Growing Goals and Identifying Your Plant Palette

    • Horticultural Care and Maintenance

    Whether you want to grow perennials or vegetables, Cat and Wayne will proffer basic principles essential to good gardening.

    Fee $120 Arboretum member, $150 nonmember

    Register at my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.

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  • Thursday, February 28, 7:00 pm – 8:15 pm – Do Your Garden Plants Have a Backstory?

    Michael Dosmann, PhD, Keeper of the Living Collections, Arnold Arboretum, will speak at the Arboretum on February 28 beginning at 7 pm on a subject worthy of prime time television: Do Your Garden Plants Have a Backstory? Museums assign value to their collections by understanding each piece’s backstory – for instance, where did it come from (and please note, we don’t recommend stealing plants – see below), who created/collected it, what does it represent, what feeling does it elicit from a visitor? The plants in our own gardens can and should do the same, but too often have become generic and mundane because we have forgotten their backstories. Perhaps even worse, we may be losing our own personal connections to what we grow. Michael Dosmann will provide his own perspective on how to re-engage with our garden plants in ways that make it personal.

    Fee Free for Arboretum member, $10 nonmember.  Register at my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.

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  • Sunday, February 24, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Build a Better Birdhouse

    On Sunday, February 24 from 2 – 4 pm at the Hunnewell Building of the Arnold Arboretum, 125 The Arborway, learn how to build safe homes for native birds. This class, taught by Brendan Keegan, covers best practices for general bird house design using the Arboretum’s own nest boxes (for tree swallows, eastern bluebirds, black capped chickadees, and screech owls) as examples. You will learn tips for deterring predators and non-native competitors, as well as how to safely monitor young nestlings. Finally, you will build and take home your own “Chickadee Tube,” a design suitable for many Boston yards.

    Fee $28 Arboretum member, $35 nonmember. Register at my.arboretum.harvard.edu or call 617-384-5277.

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